OBADIAH JONAH MICAH NAHUM HABAKKUK Assyrian soldiers This lesson examines the books of Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk, which are part of the Minor Prophets. OBADliUI The first of these five books is Obadiah. It is the shortest book in the Old Testament, having only one chapter. We know nothing about the prophet Obadiah. The opening verse tells us that the book is a vision of Obadiah, but it gives no historical context and no biographical information. The name Obadiah means "servant of Yahweh." This name was fairly common in ancient Israel. Thilteen Obadiahs appear in the Old Testament. The Book of Obadiah is primarily a denunciation of the state of Edom. It describes the calamities that the prophet sees befalling the Edomites, who are related to the Israelites. The Edomites traced their lineage back to Esau, the twin brother of BOOKS OF THE BIBLE 110
Jacob. Thus the Edomites and the Israelites claim the sanle ancestors. Much of the Old Testament expresses a great hostility toward the Edonlites. Psalm 137 speaks of the Edomites and declares as blessed anyone who takes their little ones and dashes them against the rock. Why did such harsh feelings exist between Edom and Israel? The answer probably lies in the fact that the Edomites fought together with the Babylonians when the Babylonians took and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Edom, rather than aiding Jerusalem, proved to be an enenly. Obadiah proclaims that the coming devastation of Edom is its reward for its role in Jerusalem's fall. Verses 10 to 14 clearly describe Edom's action in the day of Jerusalem's trouble: she would not aid Jerusalem, she rejoiced when Judah fell, she helped loot the city after its fall, and she killed Judean fugitives trying to flee from the Babylonian army. Read Obadiah 8-10. Read Obadiah 1-4, and answer the following questions. a. What has deceived the Edomites? b. Where do the Edomites live? c. What will God do to them? JONAH Tum now to the Book of Jonah, which contains a familiar story. The Book of Jonah differs from all the other prophetic books because it is really a narrative about a prophet and contains almost nothing of his preaching. Jonah's one proclamation in Jonah 3:4 contains, in Hebrew, only five words. In Chapter 1 God calls Jonah to preach to Nineveh, the ancient capital of the Assyrians. But Jonah tries to flee. He boards a ship. A great storm arises, and the nlariners finally throw Jonah overboard. A great fish then swallows Jonah. Chapter 2 is Jonah's prayer that he offers to God while in the belly of the fish. It is actually a thanksgiving psalm similar to nlany of the poems in the Book of Psalnls. After being vomited out of the fish, Jonah, in Chapter 3, hastens to Nineveh and proclaims the destruction of the city. To his surprise the people and even the animals repent and wear sackcloth, and God spares them. In Chapter 4 Jonah sulks because God spared the city. He sits above the city, awaiting the destruction he hopes will still come. While Jonah waits, God supplies a plant to shade him fronl the sun. After a time God has a worm destroy the plant. Jonah becomes angry over the loss of his plant. When Jonah has pity for the plant, God questions Jonah. Read Jonah 4:9-11. The Book of Jonah is fascinating and appealing. But what is its message? Certainly it is not merely a fish story. One can argue that it sets out to show that a prophet cannot escape his call. The book also stresses that God will save whomever God will---even non-israelites-if they genuinely repent. One may view the book as a protest against any narrow Jewish nationalism that stressed one people's election over all others. It is interesting to notice that the strongly anti-edomite Book of Obadiah and the pro-assyrian Book of Jonah follow each other. This placement OBADIAH/HABAKKUK III
seems to indicate that persons must hold the sentiments of nationalism and those of universalisn1 in tension. Chapter 2 of Jonah is his prayer to God. Read Jonah 2:4-9, and answer these questions. a. Jonah fled from God's calling and was cast into the sea. How did he feel about God then? b. When his soul fainted within him, what did Jonah do? the sacrifice of one's own child. Read Micah 6:8 for Micah's own answer to his question. Micah is the first prophet to preach about Jerusalem's destruction. In Micah 3: 12 he predicts that Jerusalen1 will be plowed like a field and become a heap of ruins, and that the Temple mount will become a wooded height. Christians usually recall one particular passage from Micah. This passage is his prophecy of the coming ruler from the house of David and the town of Bethlehem. Read this prediction in Micah 5:2. Micah 6:7-8 gives us a simple definition of true religion. Answer the questions after reading these verses. a. What does God require? c. Why did Jonah give thanks to God? 1. 2. MICAH When we move to the Book of Micah, we again encounter a prophetic book similar to Isaiah, Jeremiah, An10s, and Hosea. The opening verse tells us something about the prophet and his historical context. From the introduction, we know that Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah who prophesied during the days of the Assyrian Empire. Micah is from a small village called Moresheth. In many ways his preaching parallels that of his urban contemporary, Isaiah. Micah says a great deal about the perversion of justice by the leaders of Judah. Read Micah 3:9-11. In one of the most perceptive passages of the Old Testament, Micah tries to define what religion is all about. He asks whether God will be pleased with sacrifice---even 3. b. With what other things have people thought to please God, but in vain? 1. 2. 3. 4. BOOKS OF THE BIBLE 112
NAHUM The fourth book in this lesson is the Book of Nahum. All three chapters in this book proclaim and celebrate the fall of Nineveh. The city of Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Enlpire, fell to invaders in 612 B.C. The Book of Nahum originated shortly before or just after the fall of the city. It was probably preserved in the canon because it graphically depicts the end of one of Judah's great enemies. Although the celebration of the fall of Nineveh may strike us as odd, we nlight remember the joyful celebration that occurred in the Western world with the capture of Berlin and the end of World War II. With the fall of Nineveh an oppressive power that had ruled and plundered the Near East for over a century finally came to an end. Assyria's destruction meant others' salvation. Sense the joy of the news of Nineveh's fall as you read Nahum 1: 15. At the same time, the prophet presents the fall of the city in dramatic detail. Read Nahum 3:1-3. The subject of the Book of Nahum is the destruction of Nineveh. However, Nahum starts with a description of God who will bring about the fall of the city. Read the following passages, and summarize the main idea about the Lord contained in each. a. (1 :2-3) b. (1 :4-5) c. (1:6) d. (1:7) e. (1:8-10) HABAKKUK The final book for today's consideration is the Book of Habakkuk. This prophetic book of three chapters is interesting in that it contains dialogues between the prophet and God. In Habakkuk 1: 1-4 the prophet complains to God, who answers him in verses 5 to 11. The prophet then responds to God in Habakkuk 1:12-2:1. God then answers the prophet in Habakkuk 2:2-5. Habakkuk complains that he cannot understand the events of his day and why things are as they are. The prophet wonders why the Chaldeans, or Babylonians, go on plundering, and God does not intervene. In Habakkuk 1: 17 he asks, "Is he then to keep on emptying his net, / and destroying nations without mercy?" God answers the prophet by stating that the end awaits its time. In 2:6-20 Habakkuk proclaims a number of woes upon various types of sinful behavior-especially the acquisition of extravagant wealth and property and deceitfully acquired gain. The book concludes with a poem or psalm, which is primarily a hymn of praise. Read Habakkuk 3:17-19. The introduction in Habakkuk 3: 1 and OBADIAH/HABAKKUK 113
the final line of the last verse suggest that this psalm once existed as an independent writing. Perhaps the prophet offered the psalm in worship, and it was later incorporated into his book. Read Habakkuk 2: 1. Write in your own words what the prophet did before he received the answer to his complaint. SUMMARY The books we studied in this lesson are some of the lesser-known books in the Bible. Try to remember at least one fact about each of these books. (1) Obadiah denounces the country of Edom. (2) Jonah, after being in1prisoned within a great fish, proclaims the destruction of Nineveh. (3) The prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, proclaims the defeat of Jerusalem by the Assyrians. (4) Nahum celebrates the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. (5) Habakkuk warns of the impending fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. questions FOR DISCUSSION 1. There are three alternatives for the message of Jonah: a prophet cannot escape his commission; God could save non Israelites, even Assyrians, if they repent; and Jews must not think of themselves as chosen by God over all others. What do you think is the message of Jonah? If you do not agree with any of these possibilities, what other or others can you suggest? 2. We noted Jonah's prayer in the workbook questions on page 112. Look again at Jonah 2:4 and 2:8. Discuss what these verses reveal about Jonah's idea of where God was. Do we tend to identify a specific place with the presence of God? Why is or is not such identification appropriate? 3. We studied the n1emorable passage in Micah 6:6-8. Look at these verses again, noting the seventh verse: "Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, / the fruit of my body for the sin of n1y soul?" This is a reference to human sacrifice in the Canaanite religion. See 2 Kings 3:26-27; 21:6; and Leviticus 18:21. That a man would pennit the slaughter of his first-born son in an effort to make payment for the sin of his soul is an indication of his sense of the importance of sin. In ancient Israel, sin was a major problem to be redeemed through blood sacrifice. Discuss how this verse provides an insight into the thinking of ancient people about the problem of sin. How do we look upon the problem of sin today? 4. Habakkuk 2:4 states: "Look at the proud! / Their spirit is not right in them, / but the righteous live by their faith" (italics added). The last half of the verse is quoted several times in the New Testament. What does the phrase n1ean to you? Discuss the way the quotation is used in the following passages: Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 3:10 14; and Hebrews 10:32-39. DAILY READINGS FOR ZEPIlANIAH~HAGGAI~ ZECHARIAH~AND MALACHI Day 1: Zephaniah 1: 1-9 Day 2: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 Day 3: Haggai 1:1-11 Day 4: Zechariah 1:7-17 Day 5: Zechariah 9:1-10 Day 6: Malachi 1:1-14 Day 7: Malachi 4:1-6 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE 114